Roman Epigraphy

By Erik Schmitt This publication documents a visual exploration of epigraphy in Rome, undertaken by designer Erik Schmitt during a visiting artist residency at The American Academy in Rome in 2022. Across the city's roads and piazzas, Schmitt photographed and geotagged more than 320 examples of letterforms, marks, and symbols. Each selection was made based on its cultural significance and was then carefully drawn following traditional epigraphic methods. While at the Academy, Schmitt consulted with historians, librarians, and scholars. Their guidance validated a shift from the conventional focus on ancient inscriptions to a broader documentation of the city's contemporary epigraphic landscape. This project captures an evolving layer of communication on Rome’s surfaces in 2022, encompassing a range of letterforms, from ancient Roman typography on imperial structures to 19th- and 20th-century hand-crafted signage, and finally to the graffiti and tagging prevalent in the twenty-first century. Roman Epigraphy aims to give voice to the everyday Romans and visitors who have left their marks on the city, preserving the mundane expressions often overlooked in historical records, memorializing the mundane and giving voice to individuals largely ignored in the historical record. The book features Risograph-printed interiors produced in collaboration with Cristina Zanato and letterpress covers printed and hand-bound by Daniele Fachin at Tipoteca. Published by Object Editions, 2024 Limited edition of 30 hand-numbered signed copies Softcover, 160 pages, Risograph b&w interior, 8.25 × 11.625 inches